eBay Seller Central - Sales, Marketing, Selling Tips for PowerSellers: eBay Import-Export Tips and Key Links

If you’re in the import-export business, as many eBay sellers are, you should take a look at this article on Home Biz Tools -- How To Start an Export Business. It has a bunch of links to government and import-export resources that help you get started, get financing and generate business. It’s written by Jennifer Henczel.

“The 7 Essential Steps to Successful eBay Marketing” has some good info on international sales. Here are some tid-bits:

“Selling internationally does come with certain risks. Payment and shipping can be tricky and not quite as secure as domestic transactions. However, it’s also full of sales potential. When the U.S. dollar is weak, foreign shoppers enjoy extra buying power on eBay, and they tend to spend like crazy. International sales are booming – so get onboard!

Here are a couple of nifty tools to make international selling easier:

BorderFree.com (customs clearance/shipping centers) – This site processes international payments and forwards the money directly to you. They also give you a “ship to” address of their warehouse in the U.S. from which they send your package to its international destination.
Google Language Tools (located on the Google homepage) – Overcome language barriers with a simple cut and paste. Just place any text into the box, select the language “to” and “from” fields, and it translates any text into your language or your customer’s. It works best if you keep your text simple. Use very basic sentence construction and simple words for accurate translation. Your international customers and prospects will really appreciate this.”